Aviation
 

I ship in June of 2014. I scored 84 on the ASVAB. I will be in the PACT Air program going in as an E3. I keep reading negative things about the PACT Sea program but have read very little about the PACT AIR program. I am interested in Aviation and the jobs listed in the PACT AIR program are pretty interesting. What is the general consensus on this program?

It's just like the PACT Seamen program except for the air side. So you will do a lot of the grunt work with a squadron. Probably painting, getting basic quals, helping whomever needs help.

you come to pensacola and basically leave in like a month. do like a week of ATT which is basic electronics, take AWAT which is life on a carrier, and I believe you get your orders to where you go in Boot.

It is grunt work until you strike a rate. Then you go back to Pensacola (again) for whatever rate you choose.

Not necessarily there are a few rates you don't need to go to A school for.

How does the process work for striking a rate? I know I can not advance to E-4 until I have a rate. I am a little concerned that I will be undesignated airman for 2 years. I have been told that since I am an E-3 that will not happen and after 6 months I will have to have a rate. We put in a DAR over a week ago for IS/IT but nothing has come back yet.

There's a stickied thread about the PACT program. I suggest you read it, it has a lot of detailed information.

I am Also a AN (PACT Airman) and I leave August 7th. I am going in as an E3 and was told that when you are E3 you have 6months to get a job, and you can request orders for what ever is in the PACT description. I am not sure if this is true, but best way to find out is to look up the rates and then talk to your recruiter about it.

Yes my recruiter is pretty confident that I will be able to get a rate pretty quickly.

I was also told that AN no longer allows any Aircrew jobs or air traffic controller like MEPs said it does. it was recently changed to were those jobs are unavailable to AN due to their special schooling.

Yes that is correct.....it is weird that my classifier at MEPS said that letting aircrew be a part of the PACT program was new...this was in November 2013. Well check out this thread with more detailed information on this subject: http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5495

Your recruiter is a lier. But it depends. Over here in Japan it is like impossible to strike, depending on what you want to do. When you get your wish list in boot camp. Be careful what you put. If you want to be a mechanic(AM, AD, AE, AT) put down squadrons on the list. Odds are if you put a amphibious ship (like I did) you will be put in air department working with the ABs. They also told me that since I had a "record" (past DUI) I wasn't eligible to go overseas as my first command but I still ended up in Japan... With out my wife... . I've been e3 since September. Every month they will give you a list of jobs you can strike for (with 2 different ways of striking : RED Quotas and Exam quotas which are e4 tests) . But in my situation I can't strike any at all because all the rates im given are over manned on this ship. But this might be an overseas thing I don't know.
I've been here for almost 6 months. After a year on-board A_School billets open up and I have a chance to strike that and go back to Florida for school. That's what I'm hoping for but until then I'm "undez for life" cuz I won't be an AB.